Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 8th “The Collectibles” capsule collection highlights the brand’s relationship with America
To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s latest The Collectiblescapsule collection, its eighth, looks at the watches built for, or because of, the American market. Tariffs, taste and a healthy appetite for novelty gave the US a distinct watch history: cases made stateside, dials in English, and sport watches before sport watches were a category. Matthieu Sauret, Product & Heritage director at Jaeger-LeCoultre, walked us through the capsule collection pieces that tell the story.
A Chocolate Reverso from the 1930s
Let’s start with arguably the rarest. Mattieu Sauret explained that this stainless steel Reverso “bears the name LeCoultre only, which is very rare on a Reverso.” It was a special order, and it is such a special watch and an iconic Reverso that, despite not being made or sold in America, Jaeger-LeCoultre wanted to include this in this capsule collection. And no, the colour isn’t age. “It was born chocolate brown. It wasn’t a patina.”
A Triple Calendar from 1947 with English calendar discs
The triple calendar arrived in 1942, and its history is half the appeal. “It was not automatic; it was manual,” Sauret explained. “But the calendar was moving itself,” with no pushers required – thus the automatic association at the time. This one adds a moonphase and carries the VXN code, a nod to the Vacheron relationship that handled US distribution. Sauret explained in an attempt to circumvent tariffs, “the case, the dial, the hands and the calibre travelled separately.” The real prize is the English day and month discs. Sauret has seen Spanish, Italian, German and even Portuguese discs, but for this model English is “not often found; most of them are found in French.”
An extremely rare 18k gold LeCoultre Rectangular Triple Calendar
Made only for the US, in a very Art Deco rectangular case, this triple calendar was typically produced in a gold-filled case. “This watch is only one of two that we found were made in 18-carat gold,” Sauret explained. Only one has already turned up at auction. It’s “one of the most incredible watches we’ve ever seen in our history.”
The Futurematic: The “Nautilus before the Nautilus”
Because the case didn’t have to be Swiss, American buyers asked for their own, and Europe shipped over the dials, hands and movements. The results were funky. This Futurematic, one of the first automatics with a power reserve, wears lugs that sweep over the bezel. The case was called the Nautilus, so this was “the Nautilus before the Nautilus.” A red indicator shows when the power is empty. The gold-filled finish explains the lighter tone.
The Beetle Case
Another American-cased oddity, in 14k gold and hugely popular stateside. Look closely at the dial: it’s “a very thick layer of lacquer,” yet the surface “almost looks like enamel.” Quirky, charming and unmistakably of its era.
The Deep Sea Alarm: Barracuda and Shark
In 1959, the US wanted watches for the water, “a very early request for sport watches, when sport watches were not even a category.” The result was the first alarm diver, in a black-dial time-only version, the Barracuda, and a chronograph, the Shark. European versions exist, but Sauret explained that “the American versions are the most sought after.” The Shark presented even has its original strap and buckle.
The 1970s Memovox
The Coin Watch
Sauret finished his roundup with his personal favourite: a late-70s, early-80s curiosity: a $10 gold coin cut in half, with a tiny movement tucked inside. You pop it open with a fingernail to set the time, so it’s far from practical. But “who is not going to stop you and ask you for the time” when you’re wearing a coin on your wrist? As they say, time is money.
The eighth “The Collectibles” capsule collection is currently available for viewing exclusively in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Madison Avenue boutique in New York City (701 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10065) until November 20. The pieces, however, are able to be purchased by clients worldwide (unless they have already been sold) here.
